A SMALL flotilla of Wye rowers went 'Med in Penarth', as the sea glittered like the sun-kissed Riviera at Wales’ oldest rowing regatta, which dates back to the 1880s.

Monmouth RC members made a splash on and in the sea, with two wins and some near misses followed by a squad dip in the Bristol Channel.

The mixed quadruple sculls saw Learn 2 Row graduates and family members Pam and Steve Hole make their race debut with daughter Molly and experienced Wales junior cap son Max, gamely chasing home Ross and Cardiff along the 750m cliff front beach course coxed by Roan Herbert.

And the club’s other boat gave another Ross boat a hard battle before going down by 3/4L, with the former going on to win the 13-boat event.

The women's quad also went close missing out to Llandaff by less than a length, while the open boat came home some 2L behind Ross but ahead of Llandaff.

Family duo Pam and Molly were on the track again in their women's double in a heat alongside Deborah Fanning and Denize Atan in another boat, but it was City of Cardiff who came through to make the final.

Max and Roan turn on the power in the open doubles
Max and Roan turn on the power in the open doubles (Oarstruck)

But Max and Roan in the open double then steamed to glory like the Waverley paddle ship docking at the end of Penarth Pier, beating Ross and Swansea in heat and semi before downing another Ross boat by a distance in the final.

With all the 'whaler boats' then re-rigged from sculling to sweep, Monmouth’s open four powered down to the promenade finish only to be nipped by a 'Croc' - the historic wildlife moniker for the Old Monmothian Boat Club - with Ollie Smith, Alec Scales, Tomos Williams, Ben Holley and cox Evie Deasy going on to win the event by a distance from Llandaff in the final.

Monmouth RC’s mixed four again were in it until the closing strokes in their final, Ross taking the pots by 1/2L.

And the Masters four, stroked by Louise Tanner, fought out a tight battle with an all-male Penarth/Swansea boat in their final before narrowly missing out.

Monmouth RC's women's four on their way to victory at Penarth Regatta
Monmouth RC's women's four on their way to victory at Penarth Regatta (Oarstruck)

But cometh the hour, cometh the women – as Lou, Denize, Sue Powell and Molly Hole, coxed by Deborah, surfed a wave of success to take the women's fours by 1 1/2L from Ross, Molly landing her first pot.

And with the sun setting on a great day at the seaside, there was still time for a dip in the salty brine for Monmouth's intrepid mudlarks before the pot presentation in the yacht club and a pint of Brains.

It was a family affair for the Hole family who raced a boat coxed by Roan
It was a family affair for the Hole family who raced a boat coxed by Roan (Oarstruck)

Monmouth RC were also in ‘Severn-th’ heaven at Stourport’s recent 150th anniversary regatta with several wins.

On day one over 800m, Alex Mitchell, Paul Bezani, Colin Lewis, Pete Smith and cox Kathryn Diserens beat a much younger Grosvenor crew to win the Masters E (over-50) coxed fours.

Ed Smith raced through several rounds before beating his Stratford opponent in his U18 singles final, while Jamie Diserens and Zach Salmon beat Evesham in the semi and host club Stourport to take the open double sculls.

The MF (over-60) 8 missed out by 2ft chasing Stourport, but Jamie and Kathryn Diserens eased to mixed doubles glory by 5L from Nottingham, matched by Liz Lewis and Sue Smith with women’’s ME doubles triumph over Hereford.

Sue and Liz repeated the success beating the host club in the next day’s 600m sprint and added the pairs event for good measure ahead of Warwick , while Ed Smith took out open singles from Worcester.